"A low-rent Martin & Lewis!"

Hey there!

So, a local web magazine reviewed the BBR for their online publication and the review is pretty good. Check it out!

Belmont Burlesque Revue

Girls, girls, girls at the Playground Theater.

When you check out the Belmont Burlesque Revue, don't forget to BYOB. I did, and that was poor judgment according to the guy in the tux with the microphone because I'd have no buffer between me and the show that was about to BLOW MY MIND. Then four sirens in fishnets shimmied out and shook their near-bare bon-bons dangerously close to my sober face. They teased and winked and wriggled and rocked their pasties with aplomb. Hoots ensued and hollers followed. My mind didn't blow exactly, but I admit I blushed a little bit.

Allow me to introduce the Belmont Bombshells: Titi Touche, Paris Green, Naughty Natanya, Lady Anabelle and Ms. Pixi. Once a month at midnight these girls take over the low-lit stage at the to titillate rowdy crowds with some old-school bump-n-grind. Whether slowly shedding a skimpy fireman getup or peeling back velvet gloves and evening gowns, the Bombshells prove that coquettish fun beats pole-grinding sleaze for sexy any day.

"Man of the Hour" Jack Midnight (Mark Henderson, the guy in the tux) emcees the event. When he's not introducing the girls, serenading the guests with surprisingly good standards or taking slugs from a bottle of Jim Beam, he's insulting dimwitted stagehand Second Cousin Joe (Mr.B). In reality, both are seasoned improv vets who trade boozy patter and zingers with perfect timing like a low-rent Martin and Lewis.

Billed as the longest consecutively running burlesque show in Chicago, the troupe attracts a rotating roster of vaudevillian talent from around the city. Variety acts ham it up between routines, including The Amazing Tomas, who peppers his impressive close-up magic with awful puns, and funnyman Jared Logan, who brought tears to my eyes despite my missing buzz. A few of the numbers could stand a touch of polish (Ziegfeld Follies it ain't), but overall the troupe's charm and salacious enthusiasm make it well worth the price of admission.

Open run at Playground Theater, 3209 North Halsted Street. Fourth Saturday of each month; midnight. Tickets cost $10. For more information or reservations, visit http://www.belmontburlesque.com/ or call (773) 556-8238.



Pretty sweet, eh?

I asked Mark and Megan if we could use "a low-rent Martin and Lewis" in some of our future marketing material. You know, something like...

Enjoy the hilarious antics of Jack Midnight and Second Cousin Joe ("A low-rent Martin & Lewis" - Centerstage Chicago)!!!

It's the "low-rent" part that makes me laugh.
It's sort of like saying, "Oh she's actually pretty...for a fat girl." Ya know?
And the relentless satirist in me can't resist latching onto that and wanting to plaster it all over our marketing materials! A point of pride.

On a side note, I used that comment to do a little reading on Martin & Lewis on the wikipedia. I kinda knew that they were a pretty hot comedy duo, performing in Vegas and appearing in several movies together. I knew that they eventually split up and had a huge falling out. I think that towards the end of Dean Martin's life, they reconciled things. Which was nice.

What I didn't know about them, was that Martin & Lewis were most well known for improvising their shows onstage. When most comedy duos were doing carefully scripted sketches, Martin & Lewis were out there, making that shit up, as they went along. Sure, they probably had bits that they repeated, but they found those bits through improvising.

I like that about them.

I also like it because that's essentially what Hendo and I are doing for the BBR. We basically make everything up, as we go along. And 9 times out of 10, it's solid material that kills the audience. I have the DVD to prove it.

It's nice to have that little link to some of our predecessors in the comedy. It was a nice little compliment, after all.

Cheers,
Mr.B